Jack-in-the-Pulpit No. VI 1930

Georgia O’Keeffe made Jack-in-the-Pulpit No. VI with oil on canvas. Just imagine her in the studio, squinting. I wonder what she’s thinking, staring at that damn flower! It's pretty tall and narrow, isn't it? Kind of looms up at you. Look how she simplifies and abstracts it. She hones in on those darks and lights. It seems like she's pushing the paint around, searching for the right form, like when I'm in the studio. It's like you’re trying to get at some essence. She’s feeling the physicality of the oil, and the color, that deep maroon. It reminds me of a Mark Rothko painting. See how it bleeds into the lighter greys? That strong, white line is just *begging* for definition. It's a bold, confident gesture. The flower almost disappears into abstraction. Painters are always looking at other painters. We are all in a conversation across time. Painting is embodied expression. What is definite anyway?